Referee Signals in American Football

A lot of gesturing goes on during a football game. The hand signals to pay attention to are those made by the referee. Their signals help you understand what just happened on the field.

Maybe a player grabbed another player’s face mask, resulting in a penalty. Maybe a coach called a timeout. Maybe someone scored. All of these actions — and dozens of others — have a corresponding hand signal to communicate to the fans and the timekeepers what just happened on the field of play. You can see the different types of signals, grouped by similarities, at the following links: